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Psychology from ABD to Licensure
copyright 1999, 2000 Shoshana D. Kerewsky, Psy.D.
may be reproduced with this attribution only
Suggested Month-by-Month Internship Search Schedule. Take a look and tell me what you think. I was an intern before computer matching, so please correct my errors!
The whole internship process seems complex and frightening. How can I get a good overview?
The internship application and selection process is complex and time-consuming. Most practice-oriented psychology programs require thair student to complete a predoctoral internship. Each psychology program also imposes its own requirements and deadlines. Some programs, primarily those that are not practice-based, may not require an internship. However, your state licensing board will require more supervised practice hours if your degree meets their criteria but you have not done a predoctoral internship. Your state or province will accept some combination of pre-and postdoctoral hours, especially if your internship was APA-accredited.
The internship process can be overwhelming if you don't understand how it fits into your program, training, and eventual licensing. Talk to your Director of Training and look for internship information in your program's handbook.
Your best resource for current information on most aspects of the internship process is the Association of Psychology Postdoctoral and Internship Centers (APPIC). Their home page is the entry point for general information, deadlines, registration, forms, and more.
Several books focus on the internship process. They may be somewhat out of date in terms of APPIC procedures, but will still contain relevant ideas on how to gather information, present yourself, and manage the logistics of the internship search. You may be able to find these books used if they are out of print:
Basic How-to-Get-a-Psychology-Internship Books:
These may be slightly out of date, but they cover everything from "what is an internship?" to "how much money can I expect to spend on applications and interviews?"
Carl Levenger, Itzchak Schefres
Everything You Need to Get a Psychology Internship (2nd
revised edition)
(1997) Windmill Lane Pr; ISBN 096480431X
Edwin I. Megargee, Sanford L. Pederson
Megargee's Guide to Obtaining a Psychology Internship (3rd
revised edition)
(1997) Accelerated Development; ISBN 1560327502
Note: APPIC corrects some discrepancies between Megargee's description of the Match and the actual Match at Question 15 of their FAQ.
General Counseling:
Brian N. Baird
The Internship, Practicum, and Field
Placement Handbook: A Guide for the Helping Professions
(1998) Prentice
Hall; ISBN 0139239626
Christopher Faiver
The Counselor Intern's Handbook
(1995) Brooks/Cole; ISBN 0534248705
Specific to Psychology:
Richard H. Dana, W. Theodore May (Editors)
Internship Training in Professional Psychology (Clinical and
Community Psychology)
(1987) Hemisphere Pub; ISBN 0891165800
Mary E. Oehlert, Scott Sumerall, Shane J. Lopez
Internship Selection in Professional Psychology: A
Comprehensive Guide for Students, Faculty, and Training Directors
(1998) Charles C Thomas Pub Ltd; ISBN 0398068186
Herbert M. Potash
Inside Clinical Psychology: A Handbook for Graduate Students
and Interns
out of print
Susan J. Simonian, Kenneth J. Tarnowski
Directory of Internship and Post-Doctoral Fellowships in
Clinical Child/Pediatric Psychology, 1998-1999 (2nd edition)
(1998) Lawrence Erlbaum Assoc; ISBN 0805832394
Gary K. Zammit; James W. Hull (Editors)
Guidebook for Clinical Psychology Interns (Applied Clinical
Psychology)
(1995) Plemum Pub Corp; ISBN 0306448599
For recent internship application experiences, talk to people a year or two ahead of you in your program. You can also search electronic databases for overviews, personal stories, critiques, and evaluations of internship sites, the application process, training, and related issues such as supervision. Note the dates on these materials--the process has changed over time.
Several listserves and discussion groups address internship issues or may be places where you can post inquiries:
The American Psychological Association (APA) and its graduate student group (APAGS) both offer information about internships periodically. You may also want to join some APA divisions and participate in their listserves. Check out the Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) as well. (I used the English link, but you can read the site in French if you prefer.)
Are all internships "APPIC internships"? Are they all "APA internships"? Why does this matter?
An internship may participate in APPIC, APA, both, or neither. All APPIC internships meet APPIC standards, will use variations on similar application materials, agree to the same rules, sand have a common notification deadline. All APA internships meet APA's standards, which include number of interns on site and rules for paying interns. Your program may require you to attend an APA or APPIC internship. State and provincial boards and potential employers may also require or strongly prefer that you complete an APA internship.
Where do I find internships? How will I know if they're APPIC or APA internships?
APPIC lists participating internships annually in a print directory. Your program may subscribe, but you can also buy your own copy. The text portions of the directory are now available online, and APPIC is working on a searchable internship database as well. APA lists approved internships annually in a late-fall issue of The American Psychologist. Internship sites' brochures or online program descriptions should indicate their status. Internships, both APPIC/APA and not, often advertise in the Monitor on Psychology.
What should I do before the academic year in which I'll be applying for internships?
By the spring before your last year of classes, speak with your program's Director of Training. Information may also be available in your program's student handbook. No matter what your program requires, it's a good idea to look at the forms used for reporting your practicum and work hours before it's time to apply to internships. If you have a master's degree or work experience before your doctoral practica, talk to your Director of Training about how to account for these hours.
While you have the leisure to do so, think about and discuss with your significant others whether you woill consider moving for an internship. Where would you like to be? What training experiences are important to you? Do you care whether there are PsyDs on the faculty? Do you want to live in a gay mecca, or somewhere where you aren't the only person of color for miles around? If you already know about an internship you'd like to apply for, check their application and preparation requirements in case there is a class you ought to take or other experience you'd like to get to enhance your application.
What is the minimum I need to do to apply?
Your Director of Training can tell you about your program's minimum requirements. If you want to save yourself time and headaches, apply to programs that at least participate in APPIC. You will need to:
Where can I find the most up-to-date information on the internship process?
What's New on the APPIC Website? and APPIC's contents page will direct you to new information and resources. APPIC also disseminates new information, clarifications, corrections, and reminders through e-mail lists such as APPIC-MATCH-NEWS.
APA Annual Convention generally has presentations on internship. Look at APAGS's Convention programs as a starting point.
What forms, essays, documents, and other paperwork will I need to prepare?
Each site will tell you what it requires. You will find application forms on APPIC's website. Look at them now, but since they change over time, you will need to get current-year forms in the Fall in which you apply.
Am I competing for sites with my classmates?
In some cases, yes. Some internships ask Directors of Training to permit only one or two applicants from your school to apply to that site; some schools allow minimal or no overlapping applications. Your Director of Training can tell you your school's policy. If you and other classmates apply to the same site, it is possible that all materials received from your school may be compared. You and your classmates may want to take the risk of comparing letters of reference from the same instructor. If s/he is using a "boilerplate," rating everyone the same, or has written you a letter clearly less enthusiastic than s/he's written for one of your classmates, consider applying to a different site or getting a letter from another writer. Yes, you should ask to read your letters before sending them out.
In the larger competitive arena, be aware that there are not enough internships for the number of applicants. APA and APPIC are working on addressing this problem. Interim statistics on 1999-2000's placements are reported here. APPIC provides descriptive statistics on internship sites from 7/99.
How many applications should I submit?
APPIC provides some statistical information on the 1999 match:
This link presents a lot more data. APPIC found that submitting a very high number of applications did not significantly increase the applicant's chance of being offered an internship.
I'm not good at motivating myself.
Like the dissertation, the internship application process is too complex to complete in one agonizing marathon session the night before materials are due. Your best strategy may be to meet with others for encouragement and support, or to use a listserve such as PSYCGRAD to find companions. If you thrive under threat of punishment, you could ask an instructor to lower your grade, or your partner to write a check to your most-loathed political organization, if you fail to meet deadlines for internship-related tasks.
What's it like to be an intern?
Here are some books about internship and psychiatric residency. I will add articles as I sort through them.
Scott Haas
Hearing Voices: Reflections of a Psychology Intern
(1990) Dutton; ISBN 0525248994
Kay Redfield Jamison
An Unquiet Mind
(1995) Vintage; ISBN 0679763309
David Viscott
The Making of a Psychiatrist
(1972) Fawcett Crest; ASIN: 0671543873
What's it like to live in South Dakota? In Hawaii?
Take a look at this book:
David Savageau, Geoffrey Loftus
Places Rated Almanac (5th Edition)
(1997) MacMillan; ISBN 0028612337
If a state seems interesting, write the state board to learn what is required for licensure in that state.
What if I don't get an internship on Match Day?
Contact your Director of Training immediately. You may want to participate in APPIC's Clearinghouse.
What should I be documenting or thinking about during my internship?
Keep clean, intelligible notes documenting your total hours; time spent in clinical work, testing, intake, crisis intervention; time spent teaching; hours of supervision received (the magic words are "group" versus "individual face-to-face"); hours of supervision given; outreach and programming; paperwork; meetings and trainings--in other words, everything. Track client demographics as well. You may need this information to demonstrate that your internship met a state or province's requirements (look here as well).
Get standing letters of reference or ask your letter writers to keep a copy of their letter on their computer. When everyone is applying at the same time for postdocs or jobs, it will save you time and hassles to have letters ready to go with minor updates.
Do you have a master's degree? You may be eligible to take the written licening exam during your internship in your state or one nearby.
Do you want to live in the state in which you're an intern? Contact the state or provincial licensing board about states you may want to work in before the end of your internship. If you're applying for or setting up a postdoc, you will want to be eligible to accrue postdoctoral hours before you begin the postdoc.
About that dissertation.... Since I assume you've finished it, why not publish or present the results, or submit it for an award? Target APA divisions relevant to your topic and read their listserves or newsletters for more information. It's not too late to apply for some other fellowships and scholarships, either.
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Please send me your comments, suggestions, and other internship resources. I'll review them for possible inclusion on this site. Thanks!